anberlin @ The Grand Ballroom @ The Regency Center in SF

I'm so excited

;)

omfg soooooooooo amazing.

so Sara, Elle, and I left Butte at 1:48 pm. we almost got lost like 20 minutes into the trip, it was funny. we stopped for food at Taco Bell in Williams and then kept going. we got some Twizzlers at Safeway in Fairfield for the crew. I got 4 different kinds, and some ribbon and sticky things and a Disney Princess card. when we were crossing the Bay Bridge I started to put the Twizzlers together. I stacked them and tied the purple ribbon around them and stuck the card on top. the note said something like

For the anberlin crew (and those that like to
mooch off them/steal their stuff/just like Twizzlers):

we hope you enjoy the VARIETY of Twizzlers that
we have provided for you. Remember to play nice and
share the plethora of sugary goodness with those you

care about (or maybe don't care about). <3 size="4"><3 <3>

<3 Candace, Elnora, & Sara

so we were trying to get to the Van Ness exit, but we missed the turn off and instead headed towards San Jose. we turned around (after I yelled at Sara to turn down a ONE WAY STREET the WRONG WAY, oops) and got back on the right track. we were all yelling and it was hilariously awesome :D we passed the venue, found a parking garage and started getting ready. being the graceful person I am, I spilled my makeup all over Sara's car and my pants hahahaha.

once we got to the line we decided we would go ask where Will Call was supposed to go (since my tickets never came in the freaking mail) but it was just the same line so we went back. I was getting super excited so I was like "I really need to hit something!" and this guy in front of us turned around and was like "You can hit him" and pointed to his friend. it was quite funny.

we got up to the security guard and I showed him my bag and he told me I had to either throw the Twizzlers out or take them back to the car. I was like "They're for anberlin's crew! I swear!!!" so he said that they would have to come out and get them so I was like "Okay! Just don't throw them away!" so we got the tickets and went to wait in line for merch. at some point the security guard came in and was like "I just don't want to see any Twizzlers flying around" and handed me the pack of Twizzlers. as he walked away I yelled to him "Thank you! I love you!" hahahahaha

so then we got up to the merch table and I handed Brent the Twizzlers (he said "Awesome!") and I said "You should read the note." he read it and said "So true! Thank you!" and gave me a high-five :) so then we bought merch (there was sooooooooo much good stuff I couldn't handle it! I wanted it all!). I ended up getting this SICK shirt with cool colors and the vinyl of New Surrender :)

then we went inside the ballroom and listened to There For Tomorrow. they were alright. during the last song we went back out to anberlin's merch table to get pictures with Brent.

somehow we got on the subject of the nametags Elnora and I were wearing (mine said "HELLO Did You Drop That" and Elle's said "HELLO Bend On Down Pick It Up") and we told Brent he should look at them. he did and started laughing and told us to make sure to show Stephen.

and then I asked him who the guy pouring energy drinks in the Compound Lockdown video was.

he told me it was a guy named Joel who worked for the label and was the one who went around during Warped to put up all the posters and spraypaint and stuff, and that he also lives near Stephen in LA and that's partly why he was able to do it.

after that we hung out around the entrance into the ballroom and just goofed around and stuff. and then all of a sudden the doors to the ballroom opened and out walked a tall and skinny guy. he was in a hurry and as he passed us I was like "HOLY SHIT! THAT'S [K]NATE!" but kind of under my breath. so we followed him b/c I was still in disbelief, I was going to yell out his name but it looked like he had to take a phone call and I didn't want to bother him. I was like "OH MY EFFING GOSH!!!!!" and my heart was beating really fast. so we waited around the entrance for him to come back in when a guy that worked there came over to me and asked if I had a photo pass (I had my Canon Rebel XTi slung around my neck) and I told him I didn't but that the security guard at the door said cameras were okay. apparently my camera is "too advanced" so we had to go put it in coat check. the guy was really nice about it so it was okay :)

then we went back in to listen to some of Straylight Run's set. I about died when they played Exitentialism On Prom Night. soooooooooooooooooooooo good. it was either the song after that or their last song that Sara kept tapping me on the arm while I was talking to Elnora. I was like "HOLD ON!!!" but I looked up, a second too late at that, and saw Christian walk by. so we followed him to the other end of the ballroom and stood around looking for him, but he must've gone behind the curtain we figured. so we were there when Elnora noticed a sign that said "Smocking Section Outside" so we were like WTF? hahaha. so then she asked a security guard about it and it was kind of funny. then she went outside for a smoke and Sara and I went with her. while we were standing out there we saw [k]nate come out from around the corner (still on his phone) and I was like "It must've been urgent, maybe his girlfriend is pregnant!" but I was totally joking of course :)

then we went back inside and waited around for Scary Kids Scaring Kids to start. they came on and the freaking keyboardist was INSANE!!!!! he looked like a werewolf (we had joked earlier about anberlin being werewolves b/c it was a full moon last night) and it was quite funny. and their lead singer looks like a super duper hardcore version of Christian from anberlin. when they played My Darkest Hour I got super into it. sooooooooooooo good :D

and then we waited. and waited. and waited. while we were waiting I blurted out "I'm SO excited!" and this guy turned to me and asked "Is this your first time?" and I replied "No, fifth," and his response to that was like "Oh, this is my fourth" and he sounded really dejected, it was great. so then we ended up talking pretty much the whole time during setup. his sister was like "Adam, testimonial" and I was like whattttt? but he got out his camera and pressed record. she was like "hi! we're here waiting for anberlin. (an aside to me "what's your name?" "candace") this is candace (pan over to me "hi!" with a little wave)..." I don't remember what else she said. then Adam asked us where I was from and I said "Paradise, it's like 3 1/2 hours north of here" and his friend (I don't remember his name, I think it was Sean or John or something) was like "Oh, Chico area?" and I was like "YEAH!" I was so shocked he knew where I was talking about. then Adam at some point said "This is what I do for entertainment. Some people [do something] or watch hockey. [I go to shows]." and I was like "Who watches hockey?!?!" and Adam nodded to his friend and was like "He does" and I started laughing :) then we just continued to wait. and wait. and I really wanted to hit something, but I didn't know Adam well enough to do that, so I decided not to. oh, and at some point he mentioned the Underoath/Saosin concert next month, and it looks like we're going to try and go to that :) and we kept waiting. and waiting. and waiting. then we saw this guy walking around on the balcony above and it was Stephen and I was like OMGOINDOIDN :D hahahahaha

and then it started.
they opened with Disappear.
then it was Never Take Friendship Personal.

then Stephen told us to dance around for the next one which was off of the Never Take Friendship Personal album. it was Paperthin Hymn.
then it was A Day Late. I went CRAZY!!!!! still my favorite song :D

then Stephen proceeded to tell us a story. "I've only ever written two songs about places. (I screamed in excitement at this point.) The first was Naive Orleans and this one about Haight Street." (I had every intention of suing if they didn't play that song. I mean it was effing San Francisco for goodness sake!)
then he talked a little bit and Adam was talking to his sister and kept saying "I bet you it's Adelaide. I bet you anything it's Adelaide." and it was. oh, and [k]nate licked his drumstick. holy fuck. pardon my French, but DAYUM. so fucking sexy!!!!!!!!! (I think Adam and Brielle (his sis) left the pit at this point)

then it was Dismantle. Repair.
and then they slowed it down. they played Inevitable and I called Jack hahahaha :)

then it was The Unwinding Cable Car. one of the most amazing songs I've seen live. every. single. person. in the ENTIRE place. was. into. it. and singing along :) Stephen probably didn't even have to sing the song pretty much. it was amazing. it was either during this song or Inevitable that Elnora and I latched onto each other and swayed back and forth lol.
then they picked it up again with Hello Alone.

then Feel Good Drag.
then The Resistance. SO FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. sooooo good :D

then they "ended" with Godspeed. it's so much better live than on the album.
they left the stage and we all started chanting "ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!" and they came back out of course and played *Fin. SO. FUCKING. INCREDIBLE. LIKE HOLY FUCK. Stephen's voice for having laryngitis was so beautiful. the end of *Fin made me melt. I plugged my ears so I could just hear his voice and none of the feedback and I about melted right there. his voice is so spectacular. I adore that man like no other.

then it was over so we left the ballroom and planned on lingering for awhile. I really wanted to see Adam again so we hung around the door. then all of a sudden Elnora blurted out "ADAM!" and he looked over and saw us so he, his sister, and his friend came over. we talked for a couple minutes and Adam asked us what kind of music we were into. I said "anberlin type stuff, but lately more mellow stuff" so he told us to check out his band. so he gave me the url (myspace.com/thedayrock) and told me to message him. I said I totally would and he was like "Yeah, I tell everybody to do that and only like one person ever does" so I was like "I so will, don't worry." hahahahaha. then I told them to have a good drive back to San Jose and they left.

then we went and got our stuff from coat check and left for the parking garage. we decided to go the other way around the building to get back to Sara's car, and I'm soooooooooooooooooo thankful that we did. anberlin's bus was on that side of the building and [k]nate was out there at the time signing. so I was like "OMG!" so we went down to stand with a bunch of people :) [k]nate left but then a couple minutes later Joey came out. so Elnora, Sara, and I pushed our way towards the front of the crowd (maybe like 25 people) and everybody was really nice so it was cool. when we were almost to Joey it got reallllllllllllly quiet and Joey said, "Well this is awkward" kind of quietly. it was pretty funny. so I pushed myself forward and was like "Hi" haha. he asked how we were doing and yada yada and I asked if he would sign my picture of California Street, of course he would hahaha. he was like "What is this?" and I said "It's a picture of California Street, here in the city" and he signed it and I asked if we could get a picture and we took a picture.

woo-who. hahaha. then I asked him if Stephen would be out and he replied "Yeah, I think they're all going to be circulating" or something to that effect. then we went back to the "end" of the line. Joey left and little bit later [k]nate came out again. we got up to the front again and we saw he was wearing his glasses.

(the ones Christian's wearing actually)
so Elnora wondered if they were prescription so I told her to ask him. so we got up to him and niceties were exchanged and as I handed him my picture I asked if he would sign it. he took it and looked at me and said "Haven't you given this to me before?" and I was like "YES! Thank you for remembering!" I had put it in with the bag of cookies Jack gave him at San Francisco Warped. he then proceeded to say "Yeah, I have this picture in my journal." I was like OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG "REALLY???" his reply was "Yeah, it's a really good picture." and I thanked him profusely. :D
then we asked for a picture and Elnora asked "Are those prescription glasses?" and I added "Or are you posing?" and he was like "I'm not posing. [But] you caught me." hahaha, and she asked if she could wear them for the picture and he was like "Of course!" so she wore them. then when Sara was taking the picture the flash had to pop up and when it did [k]nate was like "What the- ?" and we ALL started laughing. it was super hilarious. then we went back to the "end of the line" again. we waited and talked to people and it was cool.

then Deon came out. I honestly don't remember what even happened, I just remember saying "He's so cute" pretty loudly when we were close to him. we got autographs (that term sounds so weird to me) and a picture and he's just adorable. I LOVE his smile so much :D

and then we waited for Stephen. and waited. and waited. Sara wasn't feeling well AT ALL so after awhile I was like "If he doesn't come out in the next two minutes, we will leave" and I even set a timer on my phone. fortunately he came out and we all clapped and screamed and it was awesome. so we got up to him and he's just amazing. seriously. so we asked for autographs (still weird) and then I was like "We have a question for you: Did you drop that?" and he looked up at me and smiled and so enthusiastically replied "Yes! I did!" it was sooooooooo cute!!!! and I told him we made nametags and he looked at them and was like "That's rad!" hahaha. and I also asked if he would sign my copy of his book, The Orphaned Anythings. he was so excited that I had his book it was ridiculous. so cute. he just kept thanking me and it was so sweet. and then I told him the dying bee story. I still can't believe I did that. I was like "So my friend and I were waiting for our next classes the other day and I was reading your book and then a bee came and landed on my bag and it ended up dying. I don't know where I was going with this but it was really sad and I guess it reminded me of you because I was reading your book." it was ridiculous. I felt like an idiot lol. so then as we were leaving I was like "I'm gonna go now before I melt, but I love you" and he said "I love you, too" and I was like OMG I ADORE YOU!!!! (I said this in my mind of course) and I thanked him again and he is just sooooooooooooooooooooo amazing and I love him with every fiber of my being. his wife is VERY lucky :) oh, and I've decided I need to marry somebody like him :D


so we when we were walking back to the parking garage I called Olivia and told her to post a bulletin on myspace for me about [k]nate and the picture. it was amazing.

we got back to the garage and went to the car and were trying to leave but apparently we were supposed to pay before we got our car. SORRRRRRY. the guy was kind of rude :/

so then we left the city. the only way I know how to get out is to go down to the piers and such. so we tried going the wrong way down Hyde a few times but we finally got onto it after a long time of trying to find a way lol. when we passed Lombard we looked out the window. hole. eee. fuck. 2nd most beautiful city night I've ever seen. (it's second only to last year when my mom took me and Jack up to Twin Peaks after seeing anberlin at the Warfield. as we came over the hill and looked out across the city and bay everything was lit up and moon was bright and the reflections on the water were breathtaking.) anyway, we looked out toward Coit Tower all lit up and it was just beautiful. another breathtaking view. soooooooooo freaking beautiful. ridiculously beautiful.

so we got down to the piers and eventually made it out of the city. we got to my dad's new house in Pittsburg at 1am. then we got ready for bed and drank some water and V8 and I ate a little of whatever was in the fridge lol. then Elnora and I shared a couch and talked for a little bit and fell asleep. next thing I knew my dad was telling us to wake up. it was like 6:10. he told us he made us GRANDE breakfast burritos. so we slowly got up and going. I believe we left his house around 6:50. we took the river road. sooooooo pretty. right before Rio Vista the sun started coming up over the hills. it was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my entire life. I so prefer sunrises over sunsets. it was just so beautiful. in my mind I was wishing so badly that I had had someone to share it with. well besides Elnora and Sara. Elnora was dozing and Sara was driving. I wanted to pull over on the side of the road and just sit there and watch the sunrise with someone I loved. I just need to find someone now lol. it was seriously soooooo gorgeous. just watching the brilliant orange and pink sliver of the sun slowly getting bigger and higher in the sky was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. no joke.

we made it back to Elnora's house in Oroville in like 2 1/2 hours, and it would've been less had we not hit traffic in Sactown. pretty fast trip, and we listened to New Surrender the whole way.

so needless to say, it was a wonderful trip.

I will love anberlin forever and always, until the end of time.